G.Skill Trident X 8GB 2666MHz CL11 Kit (F3-2666C11D-8GTXD) Review

[siopao1984]

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G.Skill is a Taiwanese brand that has become synonymous with providing highly overclockable and reasonably priced memory modules for the enthusiast community. Their new Trident X series includes 4GB and 8GB per stick densities, with XMP 1.3 support (for Ivy Bridge and Sandy Bridge-E) and binned speed ratings between 2400MHz and 2800MHz, available in dual and quad channel configurations.

The kit we have today is a 2 x 4 GB dual channel offering, rated at 2666MHz and a very conservative 11-13-13-35 2T @ 1.65V. No word on the exact chipset that is used but we're guessing either Hynix CFR or Samsung 30nm, which are both known for their overclockability (Unconfirmed fact: Serial number xxxx0240xxxxxx = Hynix, If 0340 = Samsung). There is also a twin 60mm fan attachment in the package to cool the memory modules down.

One nifty feature is the ability to remove the screwed-on top fins of the black-red heatspreader, which is useful to avoid clearance issues with large heatsink towers (5.4cm becomes 3.9cm height).

Read more: G.Skill Trident X 8GB 2666MHz CL11 Kit (F3-2666C11D-8GTXD) Review by VR-Zone.com

[siopao1984]

Test Setup:



CPU:
Intel 'Ivy Bridge' Core i7-3770K @ 4.6GHz (VCCSA @ 1.25v)

Motherboard:
ASUS Maximus V GENE (BIOS 0881)

Memory:
G.Skill Trident X 8GB 2666MHz CL11 Kit (F3-2666C11D-8GTXD)
Samsung 1600MHz 2 x 4GB @ 1600MHz 9-12-12-21 1T

Power Supply:
Antec True Quattro Pro 1200W

Storage:
Intel 520 series 250GB SSD

Graphics Cards / Drivers:
AMD Reference Radeon HD 7970 3GB

Benchmarks:















We're pleasantly surprised to see significant improvements especially in the SPECviewperf 11 maya-03 test (25.3% better with better memory), which shows that unlike Sandy Bridge-E (marginal difference when using better memory) the new Ivy Bridge platform is memory bandwidth bottlenecked.

[siopao1984]

Overclocking

With no change in the subtimings and by raising the VDIMM voltage to 1.7V, we could run the kit one memory strap higher at 2800MHz, which is impressive. Unfortunately none of our five i7-3770Ks in our lab had an IMC that could do higher than that (instant post code 00), hence a missed opportunity to push the memory frequencies any further, which we were confident it could handle.





Conclusion



Currently found on Newegg going for US$199.99, we think that the G.Skill Trident X 8GB 2666MHz CL11 kit, which has lifetime warranty, is an excellent choice for any memory overclocking experimentation on the Ivy Bridge platform. Interestingly, you can get the base 2400MHz CL10 model for a more platable US$99.99, but that might not scale as well.